Block device for maintaining camber in skis

ABSTRACT

A device for maintaining the camber in skis during storage. The device requires that the tip and tail portions of each ski in a pair of skis are to be coupled bottom-to-bottom, tip-to-tip and tail-to-tail. A separator block is positioned at the midpoint of the camber and is of a desired thickness to increase and/or maintain the spacing between the skis at the midpoint of the camber and thereby maintain the skis at the desired camber. Position maintaining rods are mounted on the separator block for preventing the separator block from moving laterally relative to said skis to thereby prevent an inadvertent loss of said separator block from between the skis.

United States Patent [1 1 Holley [5 BLOCK DEVICE FOR MAINTAINING CAMBERIN SKIS [76] Inventor: Willard L. Holley, 2131 Addison,

Muskegon, Mich. 49441 [22] Filed: Oct. 6, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 186,987

111 3,746,355 51 July 17, 1973 108,704 10/1943 Sweden ..280/1l.37C

Primary Examiner-Leo Friaglia Assistant Examiner-Mi1ton L. SmithAttorney-Woodhams, Blanchard and Flynn [57] ABSTRACT A device formaintaining the camber in skis during storage. The device requires thatthe tip and tail portions ofeach ski in a pair of skis are to be coupledbott0m-tobottom, tip-to-tip and tail-to-tail. A separator block ispositioned at the midpoint of the camber and is ofa desired thickness toincrease and/or maintain the spacing between the skis at the midpoint ofthe camber and thereby maintain the skis at the desired camber. Positionmaintaining rods are mounted on the separator block for preventing theseparator block from moving laterally relative to said skis to therebyprevent an inadvertent loss of said separator block from between theskis.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PAIENIEo JUL I 1.9

BLOCK DEVICE FOR MAINTAINING CAMBER IN SKIS FIELD OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates to a device for maintaining the camber in skis duringstorage and, more particularly, relates to a device which may beutilized when the skis are stored in a condition where the tip and tailportions of the skis are coupled bottom-to-bottom, tip-to-tip andtail-to-tail.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is very important to maintain the camberin skis during storage so that when the skis are in use the weight of askier will be offset when on snow. That is, if there was no camber in apair of skis, the weight of the skier on the skis would cause the ski toassume an arcuate shape wherein the skier would be standing on theconcave portion of the ski. Since the bindings are mounted on the topportion of the ski, a ski assuming an arcuate shape as above set forthwould affect the pressure of the binding on the ski boot and, therefore,the force which would be required in order to release the bindings.Thus, and as set forth above, it is vitally important, especially forthe safety of the skier, that the camber be maintained in skis.

During storage and transit of a pair of skis, which are coupled togetherso that the tail portion and thetip portion of each ski in a pair ofskis are coupled bottom to-bottom, tip-to-tip and tail-to-tail, thecamber in skis will change slightly if certain steps are not taken inorder to prevent such change. However, the importance of providing adevice for maintaining camber in skis has, heretofore, never been trulyemphasized by the ski industry and, in fact, when skis are sold byretail outlets the skis are generally coupled so that the tip and tailportions of each ski in a pair of skis are coupled bottom-to-bottom,tip-to'tip and tail-to-tail with no means being provided for maintainingthe camber in the skis during storage of the skis within the retailoutlet or transit from the store to the consumers home wherein the skisare again stored. Therefore, a device for maintaining the camber in skisduring storage is highly desirable.

Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to provide a devicefor maintaining the camber in skis during storage when the tip and tailportions of each ski in a pair of skis are coupled bottom-to-bottom,tiptotip and tail-to-tail.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device formaintaining the camber in skis, as aforesaid, which includes positioningmaintaining means for preventing the device from moving laterallyrelative to the skis and thereby prevent an inadvertent loss of thedevice.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device whichincludes bottom surface working implement means for permitting a desiredworking of the bottom surface of the skis.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device formaintaining camber in skis, as aforesaid, which is to be utilized incombination with a pair of clips for securing the tip and tail portionsof each ski in a pair of skis bottom-to-bottom, tip-to-tip andtail-to-tail.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will be apparent to personsacquainted with apparatus of this general type upon reading thefollowing specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a pair of skis clipped together atthe tip and tail portions with the device for maintaining the camber inskis positioned approximately midway therebetween;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view taken along the line IIII of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-[II of FIG. 2.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description forconvenience in reference only and will not be limiting, The words up,down", right and left will designate directions in the drawing to whichreference is made. The words in and out will refer to directions towardand away from, respectively, the geometric center of the device anddesignated parts thereof. Such terminology will include derivatives andwords of similar import.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The objects and purposes of the invention aremet by providing a device for maintaining the camber in skis duringstorage wherein the tip and! tail portions of each ski in a pair of,skis are coupled bottom-to-bottom, tipto-tip and tail-to-tail and thecamber in the skis tends to be equal to or less than the desired amount.The device comprises separator block means positioned at the midpoint ofthe camber, the separator block being of a desired thickness to increasethe spacing between the skis at the midpoint of the camber if the camberin the skis tends to be less than the desired amount and maintains theskis at the desired camber. Position maintaining means are provided forpreventing the separator block means from moving laterally relative tothe skis to thereby prevent an inadvertent loss of the separator blockmeans from between the skis.

DETAILED DESCRllPTION A pair of conventional skis 10 are illustrated inFIG. 1 wherein the tip portions 11 and the tail portions 12 are coupledtogether by conventional clips 13 and 14. Each ski 10A and 10B of thepair of skis 10' have the usual curve in the middle of the ski known asthe camber of a ski and when the skis are coupled as shown in FIG. 1,the camber defines a gap 15 therebetween. Ski bindings 16 and 17 aremounted on the skis 10A and 108, respectively, on the upper surface ofeach ski, that is, on the convex surface of the cambered ski.

A device 18, embodying the invention, is utilized for maintaining thecamber in skis when the tip and tail portions of each ski 10A and 108 inthe pair of skis 10 are coupled by the clips l3 and 14,bottom-to-bottom, tip-to-tip and tail-to-tail. The device 18 comprises aseparator block 19 having a thicnkess X at least equal to l-% inches butnot greater than 2 inches. The thickness X is generally equal to twicethe camber of an individual ski 10A and 108. The block 19 has a pair offlat, opposed surfaces 21 and 22 which engage the bottom surfaces of therespective skis 10A and 108. The surfaces 21 and 22 are separated by thethickness X.

The block 19 has a pair of openings, only one opening 23 beingillustrated in FIG. 3, extending through the block l9 between thesurfaces 21 and 22. Each opening receives a rod 24 which is fixedlysecured therein. The rods 24 extend outwardly from the surfaces 21 and22 a predetermined distance approximately equal to the thickness of aski at the midpoint of the camber. A distance equal to approximately oneinch has been found to be suitable for use with all known brands ofskis. The spacing Y between the rods 24 is at least equal to or slightlygreater than the width of a pair of skis at the midpoint of the camber.A spacing Y equal to approximately 3 to 4 inches has been found to besuitable for use with all known brands of skis, however, a suitablerange is 2 15 inches to 3 inches for cross-country skis and 3 to 4inches for both downhill and jumping skis.

The device 18 may be made of many different materials, such as wood andplastic to name a few. However, it is desirable that the material be ofa type that will not mar or damage the bottom surface of the skis whenin use. If the device 18 is made of plastic, the block 19 and the rods24 will be integrally formed from a moldable synthetic plastic.

If desired, a waxing cork or felt pad 26 may be mounted to a surface 27of the block 19 which extends in a mutually perpendicular relationshipto the surfaces 21 and 22. The waxing cork or felt pad 26 can beprovided on opposite sides of the block 19 so that a tool is readilyavailable for working the bottom surface of the skis. If desired, a millfile may be provided on the surface 27.

OPERATION Although the operation and use of the device described abovewill be understood from the foregoing description by skilled persons, asummary of such description is now given for convenience.

The skis A and 10B are normally stored in a condition wherein the tipand tail portions thereof are clipped together by the clips 13 and 14.The device 18 is utilized by placing same in the gap defined by thecamber of each ski 10A and 10B and then positioned so that the pair ofrods 24 straddle each ski as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The thikcnessX of the block 19 is such that it maintains the gap 15 at the desired Xdimension. Accordingly, if the camber of each of the skis 10A and 10B isless than or equal to the desired dimension, the device 18 will serve tomaintain the skis during storage or transit at or near the desiredcamber.

Since the rods 24 are spaced apart a distance at least equal to orslightly greater than the width of a ski at the midpoint of the camberthe device 18 will be slightly canted relative to the longitudinaldirection of the ski and the rods 24 will engage the lateral edges ofeach of the skis 10A and 108 to hold the device 18 in the desiredposition. However, it is desirable for the device 18 to be oriented insuch a manner that a plane containing the axes of the rods 24 extendperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of each of the skis 10A and 108so that the surface 21 and 22 will be maintained in flat relationshiprelative to the bottom of the skis 10A and 108.

Although a particular preferredembodiment of the invention has beendisclosed in detail for illustrative purposes, it will be recognizedthat variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus, includingthe rearrangement of parts, lie within the scope of the presentinvention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

l. A device for maintaining the camber in skis during storage whereinthe tip and the tail portions of each ski in a pair of skis are coupledbottom-to-bottom, tip-totip and tail-to-tail and said camber in saidskis tends to be equal to or less than the desired amount, comprismg:

separator block means positionable near the midpoint of said camber andhaving a pair of spaced parallel surfaces thereon adapted to engage thebottoms of said skis, said spacing between said pair of parallelsurfaces being equal to said desired thickness and the desired camber ofsaid skis; and

positioning maintaining means mounted on said separator block means forpreventing said separator block means from moving laterally relative tosaid skis to thereby prevent an inadvertent loss of said separator blockmeans from between said skis, said separator block means comprising aone piece block having means defining a pair of fixedly spaced andparallel holes therein extending between said spaced surfaces andopening outwardly thereon, a rod being received and secured in each ofsaid holes and extending perpendicularly outwardly from said spacedparallel surfaces, the spacing between said rods being at least equal toor slightly greater than the width of said skis at said midpoint of saidcamber.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said spacing between said pairof surfaces on said separator block means is equal to l-% to 2inchesi'and wherein the spacing between said plurality of rods is equalto 2% to 4 inches.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said separator block meansincludes tool means for manually working of the bottom surface of saidskis.

4. A device for maintaining the camber in skis during storage whereinthe tip and the tail portions of each ski in a pair of skis are coupledbottom-to-bottom, tip-totip and tail-to-tail and said camber in saidskis tends to be equal to or less than the desired amount, comprising:

separator block means positionable near the midpoint of said camber andhaving a pair of spaced parallel surfaces adapted to engage the bottomsof said skis, said spacing between said pair of parallel surfaces beingequal to said desired thickness and the desired camber of said skis; and

positioning maintaining means mounted on said separator block means forpreventing said separator block means from moving laterally relative tosaid skis to thereby prevent an inadvertent loss of said separator blockmeans from between said skis, said positioning maintaining meanscomprising a pair of cylindrically shaped rods extending perpendicularlyoutwardly from said pair of spaced parallel surfaces, said rods beingadapted to engage the edges of said skis along a line, the surfaces onsaid rods, extending in either circumferential direction from said line,being a part of said cylindrical shape of said rods to thereby prevent adamagingof the edges of said skis. Y

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein said separator block means andsaid position maintaining rod are integral.

1. A device for maintaining the camber in skis during storage whereinthe tip and the tail portions of each ski in a pair of skis are coupledbottom-to-bottom, tip-to-tip and tail-to-tail and said camber in saidskis tends to be equal to or less than the desired amount, comprising:separator block means positionable near the midpoint of said camber andhaving a pair of spaced parallel surfaces thereon adapted to engage thebottoms of said skis, said spacing between said pair of parallelsurfaces being equal to said desired thickness and the desired camber ofsaid skis; and positioning maintaining means mounted on said separatorblock means for preventing said separator block means from movinglaterally relative to said skis to thereby prevent an inadvertent lossof said separator block means from between said skis, said separatorbloCk means comprising a one piece block having means defining a pair offixedly spaced and parallel holes therein extending between said spacedsurfaces and opening outwardly thereon, a rod being received and securedin each of said holes and extending perpendicularly outwardly from saidspaced parallel surfaces, the spacing between said rods being at leastequal to or slightly greater than the width of said skis at saidmidpoint of said camber.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein saidspacing between said pair of surfaces on said separator block means isequal to 1- 5/8 to 2 inches; and wherein the spacing between saidplurality of rods is equal to 2- 1/2 to 4 inches.
 3. A device accordingto claim 1, wherein said separator block means includes tool means formanually working of the bottom surface of said skis.
 4. A device formaintaining the camber in skis during storage wherein the tip and thetail portions of each ski in a pair of skis are coupledbottom-to-bottom, tip-to-tip and tail-to-tail and said camber in saidskis tends to be equal to or less than the desired amount, comprising:separator block means positionable near the midpoint of said camber andhaving a pair of spaced parallel surfaces adapted to engage the bottomsof said skis, said spacing between said pair of parallel surfaces beingequal to said desired thickness and the desired camber of said skis; andpositioning maintaining means mounted on said separator block means forpreventing said separator block means from moving laterally relative tosaid skis to thereby prevent an inadvertent loss of said separator blockmeans from between said skis, said positioning maintaining meanscomprising a pair of cylindrically shaped rods extending perpendicularlyoutwardly from said pair of spaced parallel surfaces, said rods beingadapted to engage the edges of said skis along a line, the surfaces onsaid rods, extending in either circumferential direction from said line,being a part of said cylindrical shape of said rods to thereby prevent adamaging of the edges of said skis.
 5. A device according to claim 4,wherein said separator block means and said position maintaining rod areintegral.